


Sweet Tidbits

by goro_kaneda



Category: No Fandom
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:01:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26880313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goro_kaneda/pseuds/goro_kaneda
Summary: Reupload from FA to AO3. A story starring Goro (my polar bear OC) and everyone's favorite hydration tiger Paws by @cyanroll over on Twitter. This had an accompanying image to it but unfortunately the original version was lost to time :(For more information on the artist and their works, visit the following pages:https://www.patreon.com/cyanrollhttps://www.twitter.com/cyanrollhttps://gumroad.com/cyanroll





	Sweet Tidbits

It started out as a sunny day for Paws, and when the weather forecast that morning warned of coming rain in the afternoon, the tiger considered whether or not to bring an umbrella. In the end he opted not to bring one, thinking that the recent rains were usually light in their area - no more than a drizzle. Cue his regret when said rain poured strong later in the day which had him running on the city sidewalk for dear life, keeping himself as dry as he could. The green flannel shirt he wore already had dark splotches on, and the water was starting to seep through his shoes. If there was a good time to seek shelter, it was now. 

When he saw a front porch with a roof within his line of sight, it was as if he heard angels singing right beside him as he ran even faster, eventually reaching the place and taking shelter under it. But the winds started to blow and while most of the rain water wasn’t getting to him, he needed to dry up. He took a quick glance at the signage by the door and saw a cup of coffee on top of a book depicted on it. Rainy days like these were perfect for a cup, he thought as he pushed the door, the chime hanging on it ringing as he went inside. 

Upon entry, the smell of brewing coffee immediately greeted him along with the cool air coming from the place’s air conditioner. Just having come from the rain, he felt rather chilly and sneezed. And while not completely soaked, the inside of his shoes already felt wet. The place was quaint and cozy, having a uniform set of chairs and tables spread around, and he saw that the cafe’s walls had a brick-like pattern painted with a dark shade of cream. Something typical for places like it, he thought. He did question the choice of having a wooden floor though, noting that such places usually had marble. To add to the overall relaxing atmosphere, bossa nova played through the speakers at a medium volume. Had he brought his art materials, he could stay for a while longer and do his work there, he thought.

As for the patrons, there were few people in the place. There was a couple seated near the window looking at their phones, the foam on their lattes already halfway gone. Another was a man in a suit, typing away at his laptop while sipping on his drink contained in a take-away cup. Then there were a trio of schoolgirls taking a selfie along with the tall parfait set on their table, on talking about what to use as a caption for social media. Some were further in the back, but Paws couldn’t see the rest properly. 

There was one thing Paws found unique about the place: an entire side of the cafe lined with bookshelves, each one full of books. Themed cafes weren't new to him, having stepped into board game cafes and the like. And while some would offer a small selection of books and newspapers for the patrons to read, never had he seen such a large collection of books on display. He took a closer look at the shelves and saw that all of the books were sorted according to category: literature, non-fiction, general topics, and much more. To top it all off, one of the customers just left with a book they were reading just a while ago, after having a card checked by the lone polar bear manning the counter. It was then that he questioned: Was this just a cafe? Or a library with a cafe? 

Since he had time to kill, and had enough money to spend for a cup, he thought of looking for a good book to read until the rain stopped. He tried to pull one out, but a bunch of other books followed and fell to the floor in a chorus of thuds. All eyes were on the poor tiger and in a fit of nervousness, he frantically tried picking up the fallen books. The polar bear, noticing what had happened, quickly left the register to aid the tiger. 

“Are you alright?” the polar bear asked, crouching down and reaching for a book on the floor. “Please, allow me.” 

“No, no! Don’t worry about it! It’s my bad.” Paws tried putting the books back. “Uh, where do I put this one again?” 

The polar bear looked at the cover of the book shown to him. “Ah, Sound of Waves. It’s under Japanese Literature.” 

Paws was taken aback. “You have Japanese Literature here?” 

The bear smiled. “We have nearly everything here. All from my personal collection. Well, all of this _is_ my personal collection. Ah! Excuse me. Where are my manners? I haven’t introduced myself.” 

“Huh?” Paws said, tilting his head. 

The bear cleared his throat and straightened his back. “Welcome to Beans ’n Books!” He extended his hand. “I’m Goro Kaneda, the owner and as of the moment, sole employee of this cafe.” 

“Call me Paws.” The tiger shook Goro’s hand. 

Goro released Paws’ hand. “Wait, really? A tiger? Paws? Isn’t that like naming a pet crab Claws?” The tiger froze. “Uh...” 

“Never mind it.” The polar bear gestured. “Goro Kaneda’s not my real name anyway so that makes us even.” 

“Oh? So what’s your real name?”

Goro sported a malicious grin. “If I told you, then I would have to kill you.” At that moment, Paws felt a chill run through his whole body, unable to speak. 

“Just kidding, don’t worry.” Goro said, laughing. “I know I shouldn’t scare customers like that, especially first timers. But before anything else, let me take care of those and get you a towel. The rain really poured hard, huh? I assume your shoes also got wet?.” 

“Yes...” Paws said, flustered as he handed over the books to Goro, the latter shelving the books back.

Goro asked about Paws’ foot size, and upon finding out that they had the same size, offered to lend the tiger a spare pair of sandals he had on hand while the former’s shoes and socks were drying. It was something the polar bear kept for emergencies like crossing through flooded streets and the like, having already experienced it multiple times. Paws, despite being hesitant, accepted the offer. Goro warned though that the sandals were in the closet for a long time so the size might not fit. 

Waiting near the counter, Paws was left to his thoughts as Goro was out back getting the towel and sandals. Surprised at the level of hospitality the polar bear offered to him, a first-timer, he couldn’t help but feel both relieved and puzzled. Most places wouldn’t offer that level of hospitality, he thought, but maybe because Goro was the only employee and the place was quite small that the polar beat could afford to go to such levels. After a few moments, Goro came back holding a white cotton towel along with a pair of sandals, telling the tiger to change behind the counter so as not to offend the patrons. Paws dried himself with the towel and when he put on the sandals, found that it was a wee bit snug for his feet; an inconvenience, but it would have to do for him. 

With a word of thanks after getting himself and his feet dry, Paws left his used towel and wet shoes to Goro and went to browse through the assortment of books on display. The art books caught his attention, especially one about figure drawing that was considered a classic for artists. He took that one before heading over to the fiction books, grabbing a small collection of horror short stories. Out of curiosity, he returned to the Japanese literature section and, not knowing what to choose, pulled out a title randomly before heading over to a book for last, seat by the window; the one previously occupied by the couple he saw. 

Since the polar bear was busy tending to the other patrons, he thought of reading a book first. Wanting to save the art book for later, he picked out the one from the Japanese section and, upon looking at the cover, found out the title was written in Japanese characters with no sign of an English letter in sight. No problem, he thought, as there would probably some English bits or easy kana that he could read, given he’d had some practice with it. Then he opened to the first page and saw that the first line had a generous serving of Kanji. 

“Wait, what does this one mean again?” he asked himself. “Mountain, right? Mountain, then river Ah! Yamakawa-san, Then, uh...” 

The tiger struggled to read the first line of the book, translating the characters first in his head before forming a sentence. But even that proved to be an exercise in futility as there were characters he couldn’t recognize. He stared long at the first page dazed and confused. Not a single character registered in his head anymore. It was as if he was looking directly at television static. What snapped him out of it was the sound of Goro putting a glass of water on his table. 

The polar bear took a look at the book. “Ah! I see you picked that book. That’s a tough one, even for me. Had to have a dictionary handy when I was reading it.” 

“Oh.” Paws laid the book on the table. “Do you have a Japanese dictionary?” 

“Yes, but I wouldn’t recommend it,” Goro said. “Even with one, it’d take forever to finish it. If you want, there’s an English version available. Would you like that one instead?” 

The tiger sheepishly nodded. 

“Alright.” Goro took the book and laid a menu in its place. “Let me find it for you. In the meantime, why not choose what you want to order?” 

While Goro went to the shelves to look for said book, Paws browsed the menu items. For coffee there were only four choices: Espresso, Latte, Americano, and Iced Coffee, with sizes of small, medium, and large. Other choices for drinks were the typical stuff: hot chocolate, selection of teas, and fruit juices. As for food, there was a selection of sandwiches as well as pasta and rice dishes, and a daily special that instructed the reader to look at the large board by the counter. Paws did so and saw that today’s special was curry rice at thirty percent off. After a little more perusing, the tiger had his order set and all that was left was to wait for Goro to return. 

Meanwhile, as Goro was looking for the book in the shelves, he would occasionally glance at Paws’ direction, taking notice of the tiger’s muscled build. The polar bear had already seen his fair share of people with varied musculatures as his cafe was near a gym. And said patrons of the gym would frequent his cafe on non-peak hours, either for post-workout relaxation or to have protein shakes he added as a secret menu item to cater to the folks. That, and he also trained regularly in the gym, although focused more on the basic lifts.

More often than not, the polar bear would get an idea of what a person focused on or did as a sport by comparing one area’s development over another. Bigger legs meant cycling or running. Thicker necks meant contact sports like wrestling or rugby. And one with defined creases between muscles meant the person was either a bodybuilder or a fitness model or maybe a swimmer, if the build was lighter. And of course he would see some suffering from “chicken leg syndrome”, where the legs barely got any attention compared to the rest of the body - something he loathed to see the most. 

Looking at Paws, Goro noticed that the tiger’s build was close to that of a lightweight bodybuilder’s in terms of mass. But it had a symmetry to it that he didn’t see in most bodybuilders he saw, most of them having massive builds without much thought put into balance. Goro thought that maybe the tiger did another sport to complement it like martial arts or maybe swimming. But he had to suspend his own thoughts as he had a task on hand. In haste he looked for the Japanese literature section and pulled out the book he was supposedly looking for without a second look. 

A few minutes later, Goro returned with a book, handing it over to Paws. To the tiger’s surprise, instead of a novel he was given a how-to book on weight training. He wondered for a bit if it was the right book and looked at the polar bear, puzzled. Goro took a look and, after a pause, realized that he got the wrong book and snatched it in a heartbeat. 

“Sorry. Let me just take that away,” the polar bear said, bowing. “I think that one got misplaced in the wrong section.” 

Paws waved his hand. “No worries. We all have our moments. Strange that you have that book in here though.” 

Goro chuckled. “I’m into hitting the gym myself, although I have more fat on me than I do muscle. I have a section for fitness books since there’s a gym near here and some of the guys come here for them protein shakes.” 

“Well that’s convenient.” 

“Yeah. How about you? Do you work out too? You have quite a nice build on you.” “Huh?” Paws said in flat monotone, tilting his head. 

Goro stammered. “Ah! Wait. That came out wrong. I mean- uh, your biceps look nice…? Wait no, I shouldn’t ask this about a customer. Uh...” In haste he pulled out a pen and a notepad. Smiling to hide the nervousness. “A-Anyway, are you ready to order sir?”

“Oh right!” Paws looked at the menu. “Uh, I’ll have the small Americano first, with a cinnamon roll, then the curry rice special.” 

“Ah, good choice,” Goro said with a beaming smile. “It’s a special recipe I made myself, and quite proud of it.” 

“I don’t recall any cafe serving curry though.” 

“Every place’s gotta have something unique to them, they say.” 

The tiger nodded. “Er, for the question earlier, yes, yes I do work out. Although I do swimming more often.” 

“So I was right,” Goro mumbled. 

“Hm? Did you say something?” 

“Ah! It’s nothing. So that’s one small Americano with a cinnamon roll, then the curry rice special, right?” 

Paws nodded. “That’s about it.” 

“Alright.” Goro put the pen and notepad away. “Thank you for ordering and in the meantime, please enjoy the books. I’ll return with the proper book later along with the order.” 

“Actually, can I have that one too?” Paws pointed to the book Goro held. “I’m curious about it.” “Oh. Uh, sure.” Goro handed it over. “Okay, please enjoy. ” 

With that, Goro went to work on the orders while Paws was once again left alone to read. But after a few pages, Paws focused on the pictures instead, noting that the contents were standard fitness book fare with exercise guides and all. He took it an an exercise in anatomy, breaking the subjects down into shapes and looking at how the lines contoured to depict the muscles being worked on for each exercise. Exercise books were fairly easy for those types of studies, he thought, as the models used would be, more often than not, fit. Though the sections on programming and introductory exercise science caught his attention, as it was something he hasn’t seen much in most of the exercise books he has read.

Just then, Goro arrived with a tray. “Excuse me sir. Your Americano and a sweet cinnamon roll that’s too pure for this world,” Goro said as he laid the items on the table. 

“Well ain’t that an old meme,” Paws said, resting his elbow on the table. 

“I’ve been on the Internet way long enough to know a lot of old memes,” the polar bear replied, adjusting his glasses. “But I’ll talk about Hamsterdance another day. I see you’re enjoying the book.” 

The tiger nodded. “Yeah. Didn’t know there was a difference between fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles.” 

Goro smiled. “If you’re interested, the forms for library cards are over there.” He pointed to a small fixture on the table. 

“Don’t mind if I do.” Paws took a form. “Uh, got a pen?” 

“Oh wait, hold on.” Goro felt his pockets. “I swear I had one with me. Where is that?” Paws noticed the pen on the polar bear’s right ear. “Uh...” 

“Ah! I probably left it on the counter. Be right back.” 

And within the span of five seconds, Goro went to the counter to pick up a pen and return to Paws’ table. As he handed over the pen, Paws pointed out the other one that was resting on his ear, he could only chuckle nervously. Flustered, Goro left the scene and told the tiger that the curry rice will be ready shortly. Paws was left there a little confused but at the same time, amused by the polar bear’s slight ditzyness. 

After filling up the form, Paws continued reading the rest of his books while letting his coffee cool a bit. Outside the rain continued to pour, droplets pitter-pattering on the window glass. The tiger thought it to be a nice addition to the ambiance, although being in the rain itself was another story. He took a sip of his coffee and almost choked and spat it out, finding it still a bit too hot. He rolled his tongue along the palate trying to soothe the pain of the burn. Just to make sure that he wouldn’t burn himself again, he blew on the cup a few times before taking another sip, now finding it comfortable. Letting the flavor linger around his mouth, Paws enjoyed the fact that the coffee didn’t have a too astringent aftertaste, taking a whiff of the aroma to wake himself a little more. 

Feeling a bit peckish, he grabbed a fork and took a bit off the buttercream-topped cinnamon roll. It seemed almost too indulgent, he thought, as the cinnamon rolls he usually ordered only had a

brushing of sugar syrup and some raisins. The bread had just the right amount of softness that the fork went right through it easily, and just before he could bring the piece into his mouth he could already smell the cinnamon. And after the first taste, he split the roll in half, wanting to save the other for dessert. 

“Wait, this feels oddly familiar,” Paws thought to himself. 

The tiger turned his head slightly up and and stared at the wall in front of him, trying to recall amidst the chatter of the people in the background and the sounds of rain from outside. He concentrated, not even letting the background music distract him while his eyes were practically staring at a blank space. Then, as if hearing the chime of a bell in his head, the memory resurfaced. 

It was the time when he was just starting out on his first job. Tired from the demands of being a corporate office slave for the day, he took refuge in a nearby bakery, Sweet Tidbits was the name, resting for a bit while letting the rush hour pass by. That place looked a little more quaint compared to the more upscale places surrounding the area, what with monobloc chairs and tables and vinyl flooring and all that. After some time reading a newspaper on the rack, he bought a cinnamon roll along with a cup of black coffee, just to get rid of a bit of guilt. Also said items were the only ones on the menu he could afford back then. 

The cinnamon roll back then had a buttercream frosting too. And while it was cheap by business district pricing standards - paying thirty for a bottle of water that would cost twenty or even less outside it, for a reference - the taste of it made Paws a regular during his tenure at the company in the area. Rain or shine, or whenever his budget allowed, he bought a cinnamon roll from the place, sometimes even having another to take home. He even became friends with the baker who ran the place, promising the tiger at least one piece if ever they were almost sold out. Embarrassingly, that was also the time he gained a bit of weight. 

When said bakery closed and relocated two cities away, the tiger had to settle for cinnamon rolls from the other places that, while pricey, couldn’t capture the same essence of the ones that he used to have. Eventually Paws gave up on that and, after his stay at the company, left the memories of the old bakery there. In-between hunting for work, he also took the time to lose the excess weight and got back into shape, restricting his intake on sweets around that period. 

Snapping back to the present, Paws couldn’t help but smile upon the thought of such a simple thing as a cinnamon roll bringing up an old memory. Maybe it was just nostalgia, he thought, but the roll back then and the one he was having now tasted eerily similar, now that he remembered it. Just then, Goro arrived with a plate of steaming hot curry rice on a tray.

“Your curry rice sir,” Goro said, laying the plate in front of the tiger. “If you need anything else, feel fre-” 

“Hey. Goro, right?” Paws asked. 

“Yes?” 

“Do you happen to know the name ‘Sweet Tidbits’?” 

“Sweet Tidbits? That’s a name I haven’t heard in a while.” 

Excited, Paws put his arms close to his sides, fists closed. “You know where it is?” 

Goro sighed. “The old bakery closed a long time ago. Owner retired to the countryside to be with his family.” 

Paws’ arms went limp along with his tail. “Oh.” 

“But the old master did pass his recipes to me shortly before turning in the towel. That cinnamon roll you’re eating right now was his recipe.” 

The tiger’s ears twitched. “Master? You worked there?” 

“I was his apprentice. And let me tell you, working the morning shift in the city was hell,” Goro said, tracing a horizontal line with his hands. “Monday to Friday, you’d have a lot of salarymen flocking for a quick cup of Joe and whatever bread we had on display. You’d have people fighting over the last piece of tuna bread we had on stock, the hottest item we had every morning.” He shuddered. “We actually had good business going on there despite that. But since the master had to move, so did the bakery.” 

Paws frowned. “Yeah. That was sad.” 

“Ah! But there was this one regular back in our original place I couldn’t forget.” Goro pointed up with his hand. “He always ordered the cinnamon rolls. And the master even told me to always save one for him. Cute one, that tiger. He packed on a bit of weight after about a year or so though. Still a cute one. Ah-” 

Goro paused and the two made eye contact with each other until it just registered what he had just said and who he was talking to.

“Wait, are you… that tiger?” 

Paws twiddled his fingers, nodding with pressed lips. 

The polar bear took a deep breath. “Well then, talk about a small world.” He turned around. “Now if you excuse me, I have to get rid of my shame and shove my head in the oven.” 

“Wait! How did you exactly know me back then?” Paws asked. “I don’t recall ever seeing a polar bear back in the bakery.” 

Goro turned back around. “O-Oh. Well, that’s because I mostly stayed in the kitchen. I... wasn’t exactly the best when it came to dealing with people back then.” 

“I see.” Paws smiled at the bear, slightly blushing. “Still, thanks for the compliment. It’s kinda flattering.” 

Finding the tiger’s smile adorable, Goro had to restrain and remind himself that he was at work and that customers were waiting. Nevertheless, he hadn’t expected that an old patron of the bakery where he first worked would end up right at his cafe after all the years. Burnt bread, sticky hands, over-proofed dough, every single memory of his apprenticeship all came back. Some he recalled with fondness, some he preferred buried in the past for eternity. 

“Since you mentioned the old bakery,” Goro pointed to the dessert display, “let me get something. This was something the old master tasted just before he left for the countryside.” 

With haste, Goro went and grabbed a cookie, setting it on a small plate before returning to the tiger’s table. The cookie had a rough, light brown surface and nuts - walnuts from the looks of it - were scattered on top. 

“Here, my original recipe.” Goro laid the plate near the cinnamon roll. “It’s a butterscotch walnut cookie. Figured I’d let you taste my own creation after the master’s.” 

“It looks great!” Paws said. “But how much-” 

“It’s on the house,” Goro said, winking. “Consider it my thanks.” 

“You’re welcome. Oh, just before I forget, here.” Paws handed over the library card form. “Looks like I might end up taking these books home with me.”

Goro took the form. “Perfect. Just some basic rules though. One, if any of the books is lost and or damaged, corresponding fees will apply.” 

“Got it,” Paws replied. 

“Good. Now let me take those books for checkout and I’ll let you enjoy your meal.” “Right, right.” 

Paws arranged the books on his table and handed them over to Goro, who immediately got to work on the tiger’s library card. With the polar bear working on the books and his shoes still out in the back drying, he only had one question on his mind: which one of the things he ordered should he eat first?


End file.
